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Texas' best sommelier: Scott Ota (center) topped second-place Luis del Torre (right) and James Watkins (left) in this year's competition at the Four Seasons in Las Colinas.

Scott Ota (pictured center), the manager at Austin’s new French restaurant Arro, took first place in TexSom‘s rigorous 2013 Texas Best Sommelier competition; the winners were announced Monday night at TexSom.

Dallas’ Luis de Torre (right) from Spec’s Wine, Spirits and Finer Foods came in second.

Twenty-four Texas sommeliers signed up for the beat-down. The grueling competition includes not only wine service skills, but blind tasting and a test of wine knowledge as well as expertise with sake, beer and cigars.

Arro is the latest venture from the ELM Group, which gave us 24 Diner and Easy Tiger.

Cordúa is the Latin restaurant group in Houston founded by chef Michael Cordura that includes Arista, Churrascos, Americas and Amazon Grill.

The best sommelier results were announced Monday at the TexSom Grand Tasting, which capped the four-day conference that brought together an all-star lineup of wine professionals and dedicated oenophiles at the Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Las Colinas. It’s an amazing event for wine lovers.

First Houston-based Spec’s Wine, Spirits and Finer Foods came roaring into town last December, followed by Total Wine & More, the national chain, barely a drop kick south on North Central Expressway. It looked to me like prices suddenly dropped at nearby Whole Foods Market and Central Market locations.

Today, the full-page Goody Goody Wine & Spirits ad on the back of the Dallas Morning News A-section leaves no doubt that the liquor-store wars are on. The ad prominently notes “Cash or credit: same low price,” which could be taken as a response to the fact that Spec’s offers a 5 percent discount for cash.

Then at the bottom of the ad is Goody’s “Low-price guarantee: We’ll beat the lowest prices you find on any liquor, beer or wine locally advertised.” ‘Sounds like that’s aimed at every other retail advertiser in town, from liquor stores to Tom Thumb.

Plus, Trader Joe’s will sweeten the competition around Central and Walnut Hill next year.

It’s all good for the consumer.

I made it by Total Wine last night for the first time (sorry, I’ve been otherwise occupied since it opened) and was impressed not only with the store but the fact that three staff members offered help in various sections. I love its Texas section – and wouldn’t you know it? Two of the wines featured in the Arts & Living story “the best Texas wines” with the Dallas Morning News wine panel were sold out.

I especially like that both the Llano Estacado Viviana aromatic white blend and Viviano red blend are for sale there. I love the Viviana, which was under $15 (just a few bucks more than the winery price).

It’s official: The long arm of Spec’s Fine Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods has reached out to take over Mister G’s in Plano, a store that ironically is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

It’s been the go-to store for fine wines in Plano for much of that time, and I’m feeling a little nostalgic about losing it. I’m told the name, which hasn’t been finalized yet, will retain at least a nod to the Mister G’s identity.

This means Spec’s will soon have four locations in the Dallas area: the Walnut Hill at Central Expressway flagship store, in Plano’s Gleneagles Plaza at the southeast corner of Park and the Dallas North Tollway, in the old Blockbuster space at Preston and Royal and now Mister G’s in Plano at 15th and Coit.

In the Dallas Morning News business section, Maria Halkias confirms that the popular, Houston-based liquor store Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods is coming to Dallas as part of its effort to establish a statewide presence. Check out her story here.